Russian Embassy: UK ‘dumb’ to think Kremlin would stage nerve attack during World Cup

A Russian Embassy on Thursday called it “dumb” to suggest that the country was responsible for two more British nationals being afflicted by the same nerve agent that felled an ex-Russian agent earlier this year.

{mosads}

The Russian Embassy in the Netherlands blasted any insinuation that Russia would carry out a nerve agent attack during the FIFA World Cup, which the country is hosting from June 14 through July 15.

“How dumb they think is to use ‘again’ so-called ‘Novichok’ in the middle of the FIFA World Cup and after the special session of the CSP (convened by the way by ) that gave the #OPCW attribution functions. The show must go on?” the embassy tweeted.

How dumb they think is to use “again” so-called “Novichok” in the middle of the FIFA World Cup and after the special session of the CSP (convened by the way by ) that gave the #OPCW attribution functions. The show must go on? pic.twitter.com/a9FdJceWIv

— Russian Embassy in NL (@rusembassynl) July 5, 2018

British officials have called for the Russian government to provide information about a chemical attack earlier this year on ex-Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter. The two were hospitalized for weeks after they were exposed to a deadly nerve agent.

British citizens Dawn Sturgess, 44, and Charlie Rowley, 45, were found unconscious on Saturday roughly 8 miles from where Skripal and his daughter were attacked. Sturgess and Rowley remain in critical condition.

While the United Kingdom and the United States blamed Russia for the attack on the Skripals, authorities have not assigned blame for the latest incident, and it’s unclear if the cases are related.

Russia denied involvement in the first attack.

President Trump is scheduled to travel to Finland next week to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It will be the first formal one-on-one meeting between the two leaders, though they previously spoke during last year’s G-20 summit.